Apparatus for use in stretching and drying textile fabrics



Feb. 9 1926.-

J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICSFiled April 14, 3.922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A m W ,W M w w my I 5 z. 6 a f .3M

1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9 1926.

' J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING- AND DRYING TEXTILEFABRICS FiledApril l4.

Feb. 9 1926.

I J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICSFiled April 14, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 9 1926.

J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS'4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 14, 1922 Z? m? eww T m Z 4 Patented Feb.9,

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WALSH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR T J'OHNS-MANVILLE,INCORPORATED, NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FORUSE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS,

Application tiled April 14, 1922. Serial No. 552,726.

' To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, J osnrH H. VVALsi-r, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and

resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented newand useful Improvements in Apparatus for. Use inStretching and Drying Textile Fabrics, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus useful in the dryingof textile fabrics and concerns more particularly a process andapparatus useful in connection with stretching or tentering. machineswhereby the heat employed in conditioning the fabric in its passagethrough such machine may be conserved and the material may be thoroughlyheated and dried without danger of injury thereto.

As one of the usual-steps in the finishing of textile fabric, the web ofmaterial is passed through a stretching or. tent'ering ma chine by'whichit is stretched and brought to a substantially uniform width. TheseIna-- chines commonly consist in general of a pair of endless chains orcables arranged in horizontal, spaced relation and provided with hooks,clamps, pins or other means for engaging the oppositeedges of thefabric. The

two chains or cables are so moved as to cause the material to progressfrom one end of the machine to the other and during'its progress itsopposite edges may be IIIO Qd rapidly backwardly and forwardlyrelatively to each other, to remove wrinkles from the fabric, whileatthe same time such chains gradually are caused to im art an increasingtransverse tension to t e fabric.

The fabric is commonly run in a damp condition from previous treatments,or dampened prior toits introduction. into the tentering machines andfor'drying it and at the same time producing a permanent set in thestretched fabric, a heating device is usually arranged closely beneaththe web as the latter travels from end to end of the little or noattempt has been made to fpreattribute to the wide variation inprevailing atmospheric conditions, with consequent change in the abilityof the air currents employed to absorb moisture from the fabric. Thus attimes the fabric maybe unduly dried and rendered harsh and brittle,while at other times the drying may be insufficient to produce'the,desired set 'in the fabric structure, or to prevent the formation ofmildew in the finished fabric. Certain attempts have heretoforebeen-made to improve the operation of such apparatus, as for example byenclosing it within a casing of wood or metal whereby to prevent theescape of vapor into the work room, but in such cases the vapor evolvedhas commonly been discharged directly from the top or hottest part ofthe enclosure and vent the loss of heat through the walls o the casingor to conserve the heat of the air and vapor discharged therefrom.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a process, andan arrange- I ment of 'ap aratus useful in carrying the same into e ect,by which the fabric, duriug stretching may be dried in a much moreuniform manner than heretofore and independently of prevailingatmospheric conditions, thus securing a product of superior qualityhaving a permanent set such as to preserve the effects of the stretchingoperation while at the same time conserving the heat supplied to theapparatus so that far less heat is consumed than is usually the case,with consequent economy in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated by way of example,one embodiment of means suitable for carrying the invention into effect,and in such drawings,-

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the device;

Figure 2 is an cnd'elevation of the same, parts being broken away;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device,

parts being broken away;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic vertical sec- Figure 5 is a partialdiagrammatic section, to larger scale, on the line cd of Fig. 1; v

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, cross section, illustrating a heat insulatingconstruction employed.

The apparatus as herein disclosed 'eomprises, see Figs. 1 and 2, aplurality of-housiugs H H and H respectively. The housing H is providedwith longitudinal side walls 1, 2, and a top or roof 3, and is closed atits ends bythe walls 1, 5, thereby forming a substantially air tightchamber. The walls of the several housings are preferably of heatinsulating material to prevent the ready escape offheat from theinteriors thereof. Such walls, if desired, may be constructed asillustrated inFig. 6, wherein the studs m serve to support the outersheathing a: and the inner sheathing 7 one or both of such sheathingsbeing of heat insulating material, such for example as the cement andasbestos aggregate known as asbestos wood. The spaces between thesheathings may be filled with any desired heat insulating medium, looseasbestos fibre or corrugated sheet asbestos being efficient for thepurpose. \Vithin the housing H is arranged a tentering machine of usualand well-known construction comprising the side frame members 6, 7,carrying at their upper portions the chain supporting members 8 p and 9between which is stretched the fabric 10 which is to be treated. In thespace heneath the plane of the fabric are arranged heating coils 11which may be supplied with heating fluid from any desired source. In thespace above the plane of the fabric a series of air discharge nozzles 12are arranged, these nozzles being provided with narrow discharge slotswhich are downwardly directed and which extend transversely across thewidth of the fabric being treated. The several discharge nozzles 12 arespaced longitudinally of the housing and are sup lied with air from acommon conduit 13 Figs. 1 and 3). This conduit may be of tapered formand may be connected at its larger end with a trunk 14v which leads froma heating chamber 144 having therein steam coils 145 controllable byvalve 146, such heating chamber being connected to the discharge side'of a fan or blower of usual construction (not shown) In the lowerportion of the wall 1 of the housing H is a discharge orifice 16, suchorifice being arranged substantially centrally of the length of thehousing. This orifice opens into' a chamber 17 provided between the wall1 and the parallel wall 18 of the adjacent housing H The latter housingmay be provided with outer wall 19 and a roof 20, and may be furnishedinteriorly with a tentering frame and heating coils in the same manneras previously de-' scribed for the housing H The housing H is alsofurnished with air discharge. nozzles fed from the trunk 14 in themanner described in connection with the nozzles 12 of the housing H IThe chamber 17 provides space for the reception of an economizer device,such economizer device extending longitudinally of the housings H and Hand between the same. At its central portion, this economizer device isprovided with a pair of vertical partitions 23, 24 spaced apart and eachprovided with series of openings for the reception of the ends ofeconomizer tubes 25. These tubes are of metal or other suitable heatconducting material and extend in opposite directions towards the endsof the economizer chamber, the opposite ends of such tubes being seatedin'partit-ions, such as 26, spacedsomewhat from the extreme ends of theeconomizer .chamber. The spaces between such partitions 26 and the endwalls of the economizer chamber constitute educt flues 27 which at theirupper ends maycommunicate with pipes 28 -,or other suitable means forconveying the warm and moistened air to any desired point of use, as forexample the weave room of the mill, although such pipes may be dispensedwith if desired, the warm air being exhausted directly into the outsideatmosphere. In either case it is preferred to provide dampers such as280 for controlling the discharge of moist air from the housing. At eachend of the economizer device an inlet 29 is provided for admitting freshair to the interior of the economizer chamber and into the spacesurrounding the pipes 25, such inlets also, if desired, being providedwith controlling means as a damper 290. In order to insure an intimatecontact of such incoming air with the pipes 25 suitable bafilc plates 30may be provided, by means of which the incoming air is caused to flow ina tortuous course in contact with the exterior surfaces of the pipes 25.The incoming air moves from each end of the economizer chamber towardthe center thereof and emerges through openings 31 at either side of thecentral flue 22, such openings communicating with a trunk 32 which leadsto the intake side of the fan 15.

In order to permit the discharge of the warm and moisture laden air fromthe housing H a conduit 35 may be provided which extends toa point 34 adacent the lower part of such housing and opens into the upper part ofthe flue 22 at the central part of the economizer. Air passing throughthis conduit 35 is thus discharged into the-flue 22 and from thenceflows through the economizer tubes 25 in the same way that air is causedto flow from the housings H and H. i The operation of the device issubstantially as follows, it being understood that the in through theintake openings 29, passing from opposite ends of theeconomizer housingtoward the center thereof, while being constrained by the baffle plates30 to move in heat transferring relationship to the metallic tubes ofthe economizer. This-fresh air, flowing through the trunk 32, passes to1110 fan casing and thence to the heating chamber 144 where itstemperature may be increased to the desired degree by the regula-bleheating coil 145. The air then passes through the trunk 14 to theseveral discharge pipes 13 in the housings. From such pipes the air isdelivered through the nozzles 12 against the upper'surface of thematerial 10. This air which has been warmed by passage through theeconomizer device and further heated by coils 145 serves in a veryeffective manner to remove moisture and steam arising from the uppersurface of the material it is evident that onlythe cooler portions ofthe air contained in the housings are removed, so that the heat withinthe housings is conserved, while rapid fluctuations in temperature inthe housing are avoided. It is evident that any moisture which may becondensd in the housi s will tend to fall toward the lower portionsthereof where it is picked up by the outgoing air so that an efficientremoval of such condens'ed moisture is provided for, and it is alsoclear that by suitably disposing the dampers in the inlet and outletfines, as well as by regulating the heat of coil 145, a very niceadjustment of the temperature and moisture conditions in the housing maybe obtained, regardless of the outside atmospheric conditions.

While as herein disclosedcloth stretching or tentering machines havebeen illustrated,

it is evident that as respects the broader aspects of the invention, anydesired apparatus for holding material in a sheet, layer or web mightwell be arranged within the housings without departing from the spiritof the present invention. It is also. clear that various rearrangementsof the various elements of the device might well be made, as well assubstitutions-of materials, and of the heating and drying media employedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and withoutnecessitating anything more than the exercise of mechanical skill in themaking of such changes,

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a heat insulated housinghaving therein a machine for tentering dampened textile webs, a seriesof heating coils arranged to radiate heat directly against the undersurface of such. webs in passing through said machine, a series oftransversely elongate nozzles spaced longitudinally of said tenteringmachine and constructed and arranged to deliver blasts of airdownwardlyagainst the upper surface of such webs and throughoutsubstantially the entirewidth thereof, means conducting heated air fromsaid housing, and means for passing air on its way to the nozzles inheat transferring relation to such heated outgoing; l

air. v

2. An apparatus for use in the finishing of textile fabrics comprising aheat insulated housing having therein a tentering machine for stretchingpreviously dampened fabric, a series of nozzles arranged within saidhousing and spaced longitudinallv thereof, said nozzles being elongatein a direction transverse of the length of the tentering machine andbeing placed adjacent to the surface of the fabric passing therethrough,means for supplying air to said nozzles, and means for conducting moistair away from the housing and passing it in heat transferringrelationship to air on its way to the nozzles.

3. An apparatus useful in the finishing of textile fabrics comprising aheat insulated housing, means therein for transversely stretching apreviously dampened web of fabric, a discharge nozzle. arranged abovesuch' stretching means and positioned to deliver a blast of air againstthe surface of such fabric while being stretched, an econflow of airthrough said economizer device on its way to said nozzle while forc ngair from said housing to pass in heat transferring relationship to theair entering through livery through the nozzles into the severalhousings while simultaneously causing'the discharge of air from thelower parts of the respective housings and through said economizerdevice in heat transferring relationship to the incoming air.

5. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising .mizer device and means forinducing the a plurality of substantially parallel chambers, each ofsaid chambers having cloth stretching means therein, nozzles within eachof said chambers for delivering fresh air downwardly against the uppersurface of a web while being stretched, educt openingsatthe lowerportions of each of said chambers, a common economizer device comprisingsets of passages for incoming and,

outgoing air respectively separated by heat conducting partitions, andmeans for causing air to flow inwardly through said economizer deviceand through one set of such passages for discharge through the severalnozzles, while at the same time forcing'air through the educt openingsof the several chambers and through the other set of passages of theeconomizer device.

6. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a plurality of heat insulatedchambers, each having cloth stretching means therein, air dischargenozzles in each of said chambers for delivering air directly against thesurface of a web of fabric undergoing the stretching operation therein,an educt flue leading from each of said chambers, an economizer devicehaving passages for air onits way to the nozzles and other passages,separated from the first passages by heat conducting partitions, for airdischarged l'rom the educt fines of the several chambers,

and air heating means within the respective chambers.

7. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a heat insulated housing havingcloth stretching means therein, a plurality of air discharge nozzles inthe upper portion of said housing for directing blasts of heated airdirectlvagainst the surface of a web while being stretched, and aireduct flue leading from the lower part of said housing, heating meanswithin said housing for applying radiant heat directly to the surface ofthe web, and means for withdrawing warm air ,from said housing throughsaid educt flue and for causing such air to pass in heat transferringrelationship to air on its way to said discharge nozzles.

8. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising an elongate housing havingtherein a tentering machine for stretching webs of previously dampenedfabric, a plurality of air discharge nozzlcs in the upper portion ofsaid housing and spaced longitudinally thereof and delivering airdownwardly against the web while being stretched, an eduet' opening nearthe lower portion of said housing and atone side thereof, an economizerdevice arranged substantially parallel to said housing and outside thesame, said economizer device comprising means for maintaining incomingand outgoing currents of air in heat interchanging relationship, an airdelivery trunk for receiving the incoming air after its passage throughthe economizer device and for conducting it to the several nozzleswithin the housing, and means for conducting outgoing air from saideduct opening to the economizer device.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, ths twenty-eighth dayof January,1922.

JOSEPH H. WALSHZ

